2027: G100, Reps Minority Caucus mobilise opposition, back August 31 Summit

By Gift Chapi-Odekina, Abuja

Efforts to forge a united opposition front ahead of the 2027 general elections received fresh impetus on Tuesday as the G100 political movement and the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives agreed to deepen collaboration aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The development followed a meeting between a delegation of the G100, led by its Convener, Salihu Lukman, and members of the House Minority Caucus, led by the Minority Leader, Fred Agbedi, at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

The meeting was part of consultations by the G100 ahead of its proposed Summit of Opposition Political Parties scheduled for August 31.

The initiative comes amid growing concerns among opposition politicians that persistent divisions could weaken their collective prospects in the 2027 elections.

Supporters of the proposed coalition have repeatedly cited the 2023 presidential election, when major opposition parties largely contested separately, as evidence of the consequences of a fragmented opposition.

Speaking after the meeting, Agbedi described the engagement as successful, saying it had strengthened the partnership between the G100 and the Minority Caucus.

He said both groups had agreed to work together to strengthen democracy and provide Nigerians with a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We had just had a successful meeting and in the meeting we concluded that this is the consummation of the alliance partnership, working together of the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives and the G100, fusing into one to ensure that we play an active role in enriching democracy in Nigeria,” Agbedi said.

The Minority Leader urged opposition parties, political leaders and presidential aspirants to put aside individual ambitions and begin negotiations towards a common political arrangement capable of mounting a serious challenge to the APC.

He said the economic and social difficulties confronting Nigerians had made opposition unity more urgent.

“We also decided that we use this opportunity to call on all opposition stakeholders, particularly the leaders of the various parties and presidential candidates, to begin to develop the attitude of working together,” he said.

Agbedi further urged opposition politicians across party lines to embrace collaboration, stressing that no individual or political party could achieve the desired change in isolation.

“I want to call on all members of opposition, no matter the party you belong, no matter your ambition, that there is strength in unity and that the opposition should unite to ensure that we wrestle power from the APC in 2027,” he said.

Earlier, Lukman, a former APC National Vice Chairman, said the G100 initiative was motivated by concerns over the political direction of the country and the inability of opposition forces to coordinate effectively.

He said the movement was established to persuade opposition parties and political actors to negotiate a common political arrangement rather than advance the interest of any particular individual, party or organisation.

“Our mission is simple. It was a follow-up to the open letter we issued to our leaders, which you are part of that leadership, and we all came together out of concern,” Lukman said.

He warned that continued fragmentation could result in a repeat of the 2023 electoral experience.

“As opposition parties, we seem to be fragmented, and if we continue the way we are going, we are almost going to replay the 2023 scenario. It is almost like a case of handing over victory to the ruling party, and then we go back to square one,” he said.

Lukman said the political and socio-economic challenges facing the country required opposition leaders to put aside personal and partisan interests and negotiate around a common objective.

He said the G100 was prepared to facilitate the discussions necessary to bring opposition forces together ahead of the elections.

According to him, consultations had already been held with political leaders across six opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Action Peoples Movement (APM), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Lukman said the consultations involved presidential candidates, running mates and national chairmen of the parties, adding that the response had been largely encouraging.

He said the outcome of the engagements informed the decision to convene a broader summit where the proposed coalition could be discussed.

The summit, initially scheduled for August 18, was shifted to August 31 following appeals from political leaders expected to participate in a peace accord facilitated by the National Peace Committee.

According to Lukman, the postponement also provided the G100 with additional time to expand its consultations and involve more political actors and Nigerians.

“Many Nigerians have indicated good support, and we want to work with everybody. This is not about us; it’s about the country,” he said.

He urged political leaders supporting the initiative to work with their respective parties towards negotiating a political arrangement capable of producing a united opposition front.

Lukman also disclosed that a technical committee had been constituted to develop the framework and modalities for the proposed collaboration, adding that the Minority Caucus had agreed to nominate lawmakers to participate in the process.

He explained that the initiative, which began with about 100 people signing on to the project, had since grown beyond its original membership.

“It is an organic initiative. We want to ensure that everybody who believes they have a role to play can contribute,” he said.

Agbedi said the Minority Caucus had already been consulting opposition parties, presidential candidates and other political stakeholders as part of efforts to strengthen opposition politics ahead of 2027.

He said several lawmakers had remained in Abuja during the legislative recess because of the importance attached to the consultations.

“As minorities, that was our objective, and because of that, a number of us haven’t travelled since we went on vacation because we decided that we must go around all the parties and the presidential candidates and the other members to make sure that we come together and create a strong and virile opposition for the 2027 election,” he said.

Agbedi said the G100’s initiative was consistent with the position already adopted by the Minority Caucus.

“When we saw the G100, it matches our position. And so this is a marriage of convenience, and we believe that we are keyed in already individually and collectively as opposition parties in the House of Representatives,” he said.

He assured the delegation of the caucus’s commitment to the collaboration.

“We assure you that we’re going to work together,” Agbedi said.

The Minority Leader confirmed that the caucus had nominated lawmakers to the technical committee and said the process required collective action and a willingness to subordinate individual political ambitions to the broader national interest.

He also confirmed the August 31 opposition summit, saying it would provide an opportunity for stakeholders to unveil further details of the proposed collaboration and their strategy for the 2027 elections.

“Finally, we affirmed the opposition summit that will be held on 31st August where further details of how the opposition will work together and wrestle power in 2027 will be unveiled,” he said.

The summit is expected to focus on the structure, leadership, decision-making process and electoral strategy of any potential opposition coalition.

Agbedi also reacted to the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election, describing the outcome as a victory for opposition politics and commending voters in the state for exercising their franchise.

“You see it as a victory for the opposition. First, the congratulations go to the people of Osun State. Without the determination of the people, be it INEC or whoever, we wouldn’t have had democracy saved in Osun State,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to emulate what he described as the determination of Osun voters and protect the sanctity of their ballots during elections.

“And so I want to use this opportunity to tell Nigerians, Osun has just shown an example. No matter what the APC is giving to you or wants to give to you, no matter how much anybody wants to compromise, you stand up to your bidding that in democracy, my vote is sacred and you vote for your liberation,” Agbedi said.

However, he stopped short of giving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) an unqualified endorsement, saying the election was not perfect.

“Whether INEC has proved herself or not, I don’t think that the election was 100 per cent. And so we are not here to begin to say that INEC has done well,” he said.

The latest engagement between the G100 and the House Minority Caucus highlights the growing push among opposition actors to overcome longstanding political divisions ahead of the 2027 elections.

With the August 31 summit approaching, the major challenge will be translating the consultations into a workable political arrangement capable of accommodating competing parties, presidential ambitions and organisational interests.

For the G100 and the Minority Caucus, the objective is clear: build sufficient unity to mount a credible challenge to the APC in 2027. Whether that ambition materialises will depend largely on the ability of opposition leaders to resolve difficult questions surrounding leadership, candidate selection, power-sharing and a common electoral strategy.

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